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October 29, 2007

‘IDon’tThinkThisPlaceIsWorthAnotherSoldier’sLife’

from:TheDemocraticDailycourtesyofFrankLeidermann,AssociateEditor

byPamelaLeavey

October27th,2007@5:22pm

Intoday’sWaPoisamustreadposton“soldiersfromthe1stBattalion,18thInfantryRegiment,1stInfantryDivision.”The1stBatalionjusthappenstobethesameBattalionofthenowinfamousScottBeauchamp,whothewingnutshavevirtuallycrucifiedformonthsintheblogosphere.Here’safewquipsfromthemustreadoftheday:

TheirlineoftanHumveesandBradleyFightingVehiclescreepsthroughanotherBaghdadafternoon.Atthispace,anexcruciatingslowness,theystraintoseeeverything,hopingthenextmanholecover,thenextrustedbarrel,doesnothideanotherbomb.Afewbulletspassoverhead,buttheydon’tworrymuchaboutthose.

“Ihatethisroad,”someonesaysovertheradio.

Theystop,lookaround.ThestreetsofSadiyaharedesertedagain.Totheright,powerlinesslumpdownintothedirt.Totheleft,whatwasasoccerfieldisnowapastureoftrash,combustingandsmokinginthesun.Packsofskinnywilddogstrotpastwallspaintedwithslogansofsectarianhate.

Abombcraterblocksonelane,sotheycrosstotheotherside,wherehousesareblackenedbyfire,shopscrumbledintobricks.Theremainsofacarbombserveashideouspublicart.Sgt.VictorAlarcon’sHumveerollsintoavastpoolofknee-highbrownsewagewater—thesoldierscallitLakeHavasu,aftertheArizonaspring-breakpartyspot—thatseepsinthedoorsofthevehicleandwetshisboots.

“Whenwefirstgothere,alltheshopswereopen.Therewerewomenandchildrenwalkingoutonthestreet,”Alarconsaidthisweek.“ThewomenwereinWesternclothing.Itwasourfavoritestreettogodownbecauseofallthehotchicks.”

Thatwas14longmonthsago,whenthesoldiersfromthe1stBattalion,18thInfantryRegiment,1stInfantryDivision,arrivedinsouthwesternBaghdad.ItwasbeforetheirpartnersintheIraqiNationalPolicebecametheirenemiesandbeforeShiitemilitiamen,alignedwiththepolice,attemptedtoexterminateaneighborhoodofmiddle-classSunnifamilies.

Nextmonth,theU.S.soldierswillcompletetheirtourinIraq.TheirexperienceinSadiyahhasleftmanyofthemdeeplydiscouraged,byboththeunabatedhatredbetweenrivalsectarianfightersandthequestionablewilloftheIraqigovernmenttoworktowardpeacefulsolutions.

AskediftheAmericanendeavorherewasworththeirsacrifice—20soldiersfromthebattalionhavebeenkilledinBaghdad—Alarconsaidno:“Idon’tthinkthisplaceisworthanothersoldier’s

October 29, 2007 |

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Intoday’sWaPoisamustreadposton“soldiersfromthe1stBattalion,18thInfantryRegiment,1stInfantryDivision.”The1stBatalionjusthappenstobethesameBattalionofthenowinfamousScottBeauchamp,whothewingnutshavevirtuallycrucifiedformonthsintheblogosphere.Here’safewquipsfromthemustreadoftheday:

TheirlineoftanHumveesandBradleyFightingVehiclescreepsthroughanotherBaghdadafternoon.Atthispace,anexcruciatingslowness,theystraintoseeeverything,hopingthenextmanholecover,thenextrustedbarrel,doesnothideanotherbomb.Afewbulletspassoverhead,buttheydon’tworrymuchaboutthose.

“Ihatethisroad,”someonesaysovertheradio.

Theystop,lookaround.ThestreetsofSadiyaharedesertedagain.Totheright,powerlinesslumpdownintothedirt.Totheleft,whatwasasoccerfieldisnowapastureoftrash,combustingandsmokinginthesun.Packsofskinnywilddogstrotpastwallspaintedwithslogansofsectarianhate.

Abombcraterblocksonelane,sotheycrosstotheotherside,wherehousesareblackenedbyfire,shopscrumbledintobricks.Theremainsofacarbombserveashideouspublicart.Sgt.VictorAlarcon’sHumveerollsintoavastpoolofknee-highbrownsewagewater—thesoldierscallitLakeHavasu,aftertheArizonaspring-breakpartyspot—thatseepsinthedoorsofthevehicleandwetshisboots.

“Whenwefirstgothere,alltheshopswereopen.Therewerewomenandchildrenwalkingoutonthestreet,”Alarconsaidthisweek.“ThewomenwereinWesternclothing.Itwasourfavoritestreettogodownbecauseofallthehotchicks.”

Thatwas14longmonthsago,whenthesoldiersfromthe1stBattalion,18thInfantryRegiment,1stInfantryDivision,arrivedinsouthwesternBaghdad.ItwasbeforetheirpartnersintheIraqiNationalPolicebecametheirenemiesandbeforeShiitemilitiamen,alignedwiththepolice,attemptedtoexterminateaneighborhoodofmiddle-classSunnifamilies.

Nextmonth,theU.S.soldierswillcompletetheirtourinIraq.TheirexperienceinSadiyahhasleftmanyofthemdeeplydiscouraged,byboththeunabatedhatredbetweenrivalsectarianfightersandthequestionablewilloftheIraqigovernmenttoworktowardpeacefulsolutions.

AskediftheAmericanendeavorherewasworththeirsacrifice—20soldiersfromthebattalionhavebeenkilledinBaghdad—Alarconsaidno:“Idon’tthinkthisplaceisworthanothersoldier’s

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